2012 Olympics

Today's lone public Olympic event is the Opening Ceremony, which begins at 4 p.m. EDT. Bettors say the secret "cauldron lighter" will be runner Roger Bannister. And the U.S. swim team has made its own video for the Carly Rae Jespen song "Call Me Maybe."

The U.S. men's gymnastics team is in London, and gold isn't the only color on their minds: The competition floor is covered in hot pink. The gymnasts are struggling to adjust; they say the array of colors makes it hard to spot the high bars. As one gymnast put it, "Real men compete on pink floors!"

In the days of the ancient Greeks, poetry and sport went hand in hand at athletic festivals like the Olympics. Morning Edition is reviving that tradition with the Poetry Games. We've invited poets to compose original works celebrating the Olympics. You will judge who should win the victor's crown.

Greek track star Voula Papachristou has been expelled from her country's Olympic team, after she made a comment about Africans who live in Greece. The comment was widely noticed on her Twitter feed, and resulted in her removal from the London 2012 roster.

Just as every Olympic athlete trains their heart out, every Olympic expert seems to wear themselves out describing what an unmitigated sham is being perpetrated on the host city. Many of those criticisms are valid, of course — especially concerns about overbuilding facilities.

By now, you've likely heard that the Olympics Opening Ceremony will be held Friday. But the 2012 competitions actually start Wednesday, with women's soccer. That's when the American team plays France at noon, EDT. The first Olympic match, between host Britain and New Zealand, begins at 11 a.m.